Improvement in w ashing-m achines



UNI ED ;;S -"rn'rns PATENT wes ern to. :enxnmn, or CINCINNATI, 01110.

)lMPROVEME-NT m .wAsi-lmamAcl-nnes.

Specification formingtpartof llettersiatent No. [194,144, dated August 14, 1877; application filed -Februar'y 27,1877. I

.lToalLwlmmtt may concern: handles of the rubber, with the modified ar- Be it knownthat LJosEPH C. GRANNAN, rangement ofthe meansfor giving the flexible of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Stateot' Ohiomovement at V the forwardv end of the stroke, have invented an Improvement inxWashingwhich is shown in Fig. 3, Fig; 5 isa plan of Machines, of ,whichthe following iszaspecifithe arrangement of the roller in the localized I cation: 7 rubber-frame. Figs. 6 and 7 represent a per- F My inventionrelates to theclas's of washspective view and cross-section, respectively, ing-machinesembracingla straight stationary of a modified construction'of slidingiways for .or localized rubbing-frame Wlbhill:;3: tub, on the reciprocating rubber, this modification not which thewclothes rest, and-amoving rubber embracing the flexible Smovement shown in reciprocated, by hand and my inventioncon- Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. 1 sists, first, in the combination of a tub and 10- A is the tub or vessel fo'rcontaining the wacalized rubber-frame, so constructed andarter and clothes, and B the legs orstandards of ranged, with relation to each other,1that a dethe same. The ends, sides, and bottom are scending plane? forms the bottom of the tub, puttogethertongue-and-groovestyle, as shown, and the rubber-frame is located over the lowthe tongues being held in the grooves, and the est end .ofait, so that, the wwater is collected at ends, sides, and bottom therefor securely joined one end of the tub, where the rubbing isdone, by belts or screw-rods a, and these I'OdS,I preand the other end canbe kept comparatively fer shall be let into the wood'composing the free from water, and violent agitation of wasides and bottom, as shown in Figs. 2 and .3, ter thereby avoided; second, in the provision, so that they may pull as near the center'of at the pivot end of the handles, whichsupport the wood as possible. The front end a of the the reciprocating rubber, of springsor yieldthe tub is deeper than the rearzend a, and the ing connections, for the purpose of. enabling sides 0. 0; are made tapering to match, so that l the reciprocating rubber to yield upward at thebottom, when in place, will present a depoints in the motion where the localized rubscending plane, and thus cause a collection of her is illy adapted to yield downward, and water having a gradually-decreasing depth in this way to make the yielding power or flexifrom a to a, and over this sloping bottom I bility of the rubbingsurfaces nearly uniform place my localized rubber-frame 0 The forthroughout the stroke; third, in a device for ward end of this frame rests on the bottom of fixing the handles to the standards .of the rethetub and the other end rests on the springs c, ciprocating rubber-frame, so that the height which may be elastic straps, as shown in Fig. of the handles may be adjusted to suit there- 3, or coiled springs around pins c, on which quirements of the operator, and combining, the frame may be guided, and the space left with these adjustable handles and the reciprobetween this frame and the bottom of the tub eating rubber, slotted ways, in which the crossis of sufficient capacity to contain nearly all bar of the handles slides, the ways being' pivthe water necessary for washing, and there is, oted at one end, and provided with a spring at consequently, but little water forward of the the other, to secure the flexibility necessary to rubber-frame liable to e viol ntly agitated by the proper operation of these parts. the motion of the moving parts of the ma- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is chine. a perspective view of a machine embodying Although I prefer that the operator shall myinventiomthe figure beingpartlysectioned. stand at the end a of the tub, I have con- Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same structed my machine so that the frame U may with the reciprocating rubber removed. Fig. be turned end for end, and the reciprocating 3 is a longitudinal section of the machine with rubber (which will be hereinafter explained) l the rubber in place and at the extreme forbe correspondingly adjusted, so that the opward end of its stroke, and amodified arrangeerator can change ends and have the shed-- ment of the device for giving flexibility to the low part of the tub next to him,-although the rubber-frame at the forward end of its stroke. washing, as before, is'done at the deep end. Fig. 4 is a skeleton perspective view of the In order to make the surface of frame Ua rolling-surface, and still free from large apertures or spaces, I make it of rollers c", journaled at the ends and corrugated llongitudiuallm and so arranged with relation to each other that the convexities of each roller will fit corresponding concavities of rollers adjacent to it, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5.

D represents my reciprocating rubber. Its lower surface is undulating, and it is perforated at frequent intervals, so that the water may feed through the holes in the motion of the machine. E E are the handles of this rubber, and F the side pieces.

The handles, where flexibility of the rub bing parts is desired, may slide in slots b 12, Figs. 3 and 4, and the handles be connected by links G G to cross-head H, between which and the bottom piece I, attached to the under I 4 side of the tub, springs J are introduced around 5 studs j, on which the cross-head slides, and where no such flexibility as these springs give is desired the handles may be attached to sliding blocks 6, moving in grooves in the sides a,

a, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7; but I prefer the following construction: I provide two side bars, K, pivotedat k, and grooved to receive the trunnions k, which are adapted to slide and partially turn therein. The free ends of these bars are inclosed by the staples L, and

between the upper ends of these staples and the upper edges of the side M are introduced.

In the action her D is near the end a the desirable flexibility is obtained almost entirely from the springs 0; but when the rubber is at the other end it has but little power to compress springs c, owing to loss of leverage. It is then that the springs M are called into play, and they give bars coiled springs 'way freely in this condition, and less freely as of the machine, when the rub-' the rubber leaves this end. By reason of these two springs, therefore, the flexibility or yielding'character of the rubbing-surfaces is nearly uniform throughout the stroke.

To give the necessary adjustment of the rubber 1) before spoken of, I pivot the side pieces F to the handles E E at e, and make curved slots f in the side pieces, and with setscrews f, and by these slots and pivots I am enabled to swing the rubber D into the proper relation with the handles E E, and with the rubber-frame O.

In place of coiled springs c or J, the flat springs 0', Fig. 1, may be used.

I I claim- 1. The combination, substantially as specified, of the tub having a continuous inclined bottom, the rubber-frame over the deepest portion of the'tub, having a yielding support at the deepest end of the tub, and resting at the other end on the bottom of the tub and the reciprocating rubber.

2. The combination of vessel A, yielding rubber-frame G, reciprocating rubber-frame D E E, the latter having, at the end opposite frame 0, a yielding connection with the vessel A. substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, substantially as specified, of the reciprocating rubber-frame, the handles pivoted and adjustably fixed to the standards thereof, the slotted pivoted ways, in which the cross-bar of the handles plays, and the springs M.

In testimony of which inventionI hereunto set my hand.

J OS. 0. GRANN AN.

Witnesses: I

JOHN E. JoNEs, EDGAR J. Gauss. 

